Immunosuppressive Drugs and C.diff recurrence?

Treatments, possible treatments, unsubstantiated/unproven treatments. Consult your doctor first.
Tea
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Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 1:41 am

Immunosuppressive Drugs and C.diff recurrence?

Postby Tea » Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:15 am

Hello, I am a new poster although been reading the forum for awhile now, it is a great space, thank you for having it.

I am 34 and have had 3 bouts of C.diff, the last two putting me in the hospital. My immune system seems quite weak to begin with as my last recurrence did not even follow antibiotic use. I have been through a failed course of flagyl, three failed courses of vanco and a failed course of dificid as a result of severe side effects (frequent intense vomiting and bloody diarrhea). I am very scared of more recurrences as I am concerned they will continue to get worse and more difficult to resolve. That aside, this post is to ask if any other members are on immunosuppressive medications and if they have seemed to affect c.diff recurrences.

I have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and most medications suppress the immune system, increasing the body’s risk of infection. Anyone have knowledge or experience with any immunosuppressive meds and how their c.diff has responded??

beth22
Long Time Contributor
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Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 2:23 pm

Re: Immunosuppressive Drugs and C.diff recurrence?

Postby beth22 » Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:40 am

Hi and welcome to the site. Sorry that you had to find us, but hopefully you will get some help. I am not on those kinds of meds, but I know my GI mentioned before that they do predispose you to getting c difficile more easily. I would talk to an ID doctor or to an immunologist and get some opinions. I tend to not go by what one person alone tells me. But, I do know that some of the meds for Crohn's have caused relapses. Those are different than the ones for RA. I was told not to take steroids as it could cause a relapse, but that steroid injection was ok. Hopefully, someone else will see your post who has had more experience.

overit
Regular User
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Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2016 8:04 pm

Re: Immunosuppressive Drugs and C.diff recurrence?

Postby overit » Mon Nov 20, 2017 6:47 pm

I am a cdif survivor and and also suffered from psoriatic arthritis. Prior to cdif I used to take plaquenil and arava for my arthritis (both are immuno-suppressants). My rheumatologist and my GI were both on board with me returning to both of those medications post my cdif recovery (they pulled me off both while undergoing cdif treatment).
I was treated with vanco (relapsed after 10 days), difficid (relapsed after 14 days) and difficid again prior to FMT. I was cured with FMT. Leading up to and following my FMT I changed my diet dramatically: no dairy and no sugar. A month after my FMT I went to my routine rheumatologist appt to check my inflammation levels since I'd been off my medication for months. No inflammation was found in my bloodwork. My dr had me come back in 3 months..no inflammation found again. Fast-forward 18 months I'm officially in remission from my arthritis. They aren't sure if it's because of my diet change or the FMT but clearly one or both has healed me of my auto-immune disease. It was my cdif silver lining =) I wish they would do more research on FMT and the gut connection to auto-immune diseases!
I hope you are able to return to your medications with no issue. I highly recommend the anti-inflammatory diet if your doctor supports it.

Tea
Brand New Poster
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 1:41 am

Re: Immunosuppressive Drugs and C.diff recurrence?

Postby Tea » Tue Nov 21, 2017 2:12 am

Thank you for your input! I have begun more of a paleo diet while also avoiding nightshades. No dairy and no sugar except from fruits or whole foods. In the last week I have also been diagnosed with mast cell activation disorder...also inflammatory. I feel a strict diet could be a great thing especially at this rate. I talked to my rheumatologist who had no problem switching meds. I’ve been through plaquenil, methotrexate, and Humira. I am now taking Orencia. It is supposed to have the least increased risk of infection. So far so good. I have been maintaining my gut with a collection of supplements and probiotics and after a cdiff scare right before I started the new med, seems like it worked. First time I had gut issues and didn’t have to go to the hospital or take antibiotics. I have my naturopath to thank for that. It’s great to hear you are officially in remission with psoriasis, congrats! I hope I can get there too. Your reply was very helpful, thank you!


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